Free at Last! Missouri Cannabis Prisoner Released After 20 Years

“Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all of the days of your life” — a fitting quote from Bob Marley to describe a happy day for cannabis supporters.

Jeff Mizanskey is a nonviolent prisoner who has been jailed in Missouri for the last 20 years, from when he was 41 years old until his present age of 62. His crime? Cannabis offenses.

Mizanskey was first arrested for selling an ounce of cannabis to an undercover informant in 1984, and when his house was searched, they found another half-pound during the raid. His next offense occurred in 1991, with a simple possession charge of two ounces of cannabis. The third and final strike was agreeing to sell six pounds of cannabis to an undercover police officer.

There’s no dispute that Mizanskey broke the law; rather, the public outrage surrounding this man’s situation had more to do with the severity of the punishment doled out to him. Due to the three charges, Jeff Mizanskey was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole because of Missouri’s “three strikes” mandatory sentencing policy, which has since been revoked.